2005 Notable Document Award Recipients

Seattle - Six research reports are honored by a staff section of the National Conference of State Legislatures for their excellence in exploring topics of contemporary interest to legislators and staff. NCSL's Legislative Research Librarian (LRL) staff section present its Notable Document Awards at NCSL's 31^th Annual Meeting in Seattle. Six reports from four states were selected. They are:

BODY OF WORK--LEGISLATIVELY MANDATED
-Hydrogen, Wind, Biodiesel, and Ethanol: Alternative Energy Sources to Fuel Montana's Future?
-Montana's Water--Where is it? Who can use it? Who decides?
(Montana Legislative Environmental Quality Council)

CITIZEN'S GUIDE
-Pocket Guides on Fiscal Matters (various)
(Montana Legislative Fiscal Division)

LEGISLATOR'S GUIDE
-Gambling in Minnesota: A Short History
-Noncitizens and Minnesota Law: A Guide for Legislators
(Research Department, Minnesota House of Representatives)

PUBLIC POLICY
-Medical Professional Liability Reform for the 21st Century: A Review of Policy Options
(Pennsylvania General Assembly Joint State Government Commission)

A "document" for purposes of this award were defined as one produced by a federal, state, or local government agency, by a foundation, consulting firm, or quasi-public or private sector non-profit organization. Format includes print, microfilm, CD-ROM, periodical/serial, or URL.

The Legislative Research Librarians staff section, one of NCSL's eleven professional staff organizations, was established to promote effective information retrieval techniques for legislative libraries; to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas relating to legislative information, operations, and procedures in the states; and to enhance the professionalism of the members.

Composed primarily of librarians and information specialists in legislative agencies, the section sponsors an extensive schedule of programs at the NCSL Annual Meeting and the Annual Professional Development Seminar. Each of these meetings focuses on current developments in information management, information technology and legislative research.